Russia bombed the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson on Wednesday with glide bombs and artillery fire, killing one person and injuring at least nine others. The assault is part of Moscow’s ongoing offensive that continues to put pressure on various regions of the country.
According to regional governor Oleksandr Prokudin, the bombs struck in the morning, and shortly after, as rescue teams arrived on the scene, Russian forces launched another artillery barrage. “This is a deliberate tactic to hinder the rescue of the wounded and target medics, rescuers, and police officers,” Prokudin said.
The attack caused significant damage to a sports facility, a supermarket, several residential buildings, and civilian vehicles.
The strike on Kherson follows a series of recent Russian offensives. On Palm Sunday, two ballistic missiles hit the northeastern city of Sumy, near the Russian border, killing 35 people and injuring more than 100 in what has become the deadliest attack on Ukrainian civilians so far this year. Moscow claimed, without providing evidence, that the target was a meeting of senior Ukrainian military officials.
These assaults come despite an agreement reached last month between Moscow and Kyiv for a 30-day pause in attacks on energy infrastructure. However, both sides have accused each other of daily violations.
Meanwhile, the Russian military claimed on Wednesday it had shot down 26 Ukrainian drones over various regions of the country. Asked whether Russia would continue to observe the limited ceasefire once the agreed period ends, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov gave no clear answer, stating that the decision would be made at a later time.
Moscow has so far rejected a comprehensive ceasefire proposed by U.S. President Donald Trump and supported by Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin has made any such agreement conditional on halting Western arms supplies to Ukraine and suspending Ukrainian recruitment efforts—conditions that Kyiv has refused. Ukrainian authorities warn that Russian forces are preparing for a new offensive to gain leverage in future negotiations.
Currently, Russian forces hold the battlefield advantage, carrying out attacks along multiple sectors of the vast 1,000-kilometer (over 600-mile) front line.
Amid these developments, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, are scheduled to travel to Paris on Thursday to meet with European counterparts and “advance President Trump’s goal of ending the war and stopping the bloodshed,” said State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce. Rubio will also discuss ways to promote shared regional interests.
Witkoff, who held his third meeting with Putin last Friday—a session lasting nearly five hours—told Fox News earlier this week that the Russian leader wants a “lasting peace.” He added that any potential peace deal would focus on Russia’s claims over five Ukrainian regions.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy responded firmly to Witkoff’s remarks, stressing that Ukraine will never recognize any temporarily occupied territory as Russian.
Regarding ongoing negotiations with the United States on a possible agreement granting Washington access to Ukraine’s valuable mineral resources, Economy Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko stated that both countries’ teams have made “significant progress.”
She noted that they are working on a memorandum of understanding that would reflect this positive momentum. “We are preparing to finalize the agreement in the near future,” Svyrydenko said.
The deal, which must be ratified by Ukraine’s parliament, “will provide investment and development opportunities in Ukraine, and also create conditions for tangible economic growth for both Ukraine and the United States,” she added.
